207 




THENEWVORK 

PUBLIC LlBRABTi 

P 30802 

A£TOP, LFNOX AND 
TU.DEN FOUNDATIONS. 



\- 



0- . 



he Correspondence of 
Lord Montague with 

General Moultrie. 

1781. 



• enry Hammond 




Class. & ZP% 



in Kxcft, 
N.T. Pub. Lib; 1 



This edition, printed June, 1885, consists of two hundred copies 
on Holland paper, and three copies on Vellum, all of which are 
numbered and signed. This copy is No. 




Charleston, S. C, 28th June, 1885. 



Presented to...* 



T/ZZ^t^^J^Z^^ZTZ^T? 



ji r w , , f ^ 

TllE NEW YORK) 

PUBLIC LIBRARY 



AfcTOR, LENOX 

g FOUND/: ". | 




' Ed*" SCT.7I-U 



MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM MOULTRIE 




A 



X) 




Ti>«5«EW YORK 
ARY 

P 30802 

A r '^'\ i - NOX 
Till i 'i.»(i 






duh 



EXCHANGED. 



Z$£ Correspondence of 
Lord Montague with 
General Moultrie. 



1781. 



3SM8 






H m\)m to tjtoe sp^elf from ^self." 




SDtjis coition is prepareo to commemorate tlje lo^ttj 
;anntoersart> of ttje tEtrtori? at jfort Moultrie, 

28TH June, 1776, 

W&& a patriot's? ttjottgftt ano utterance in ttje enbiron; 

ment of Defeat, and toljile pet a prisoner of toar, 

map be prcserfceD to posterity* 




CORRESPONDENCE. 



Lord Montague to Gen. Moultrie. 



Dear Sir 



Charlestown, So. Ca., 

February 9th, 1781. 



T is a long time since I 
have had the pleasure 
of seeing you, but the 
length of time has not 
effaced the civilities and marks of 
friendship I received from you. I 




8 Correspondence. 

wish much to see you ; you know 
I have again returned to this coun- 
try for a short time. 

If it is agreeable to you, I will either 
call upon you or be glad to see you 
here at No. 57, old Church Street. 

I send this by my old servant 
Fisher. 

Your sincere friend, 

Charles Montague. 

Gen. Moultrie. 





Sir: 




Charlestown, So. Ca., 

March u, 1781. 

SINCERE wish to pro- 
mote what may be to 
your advantage, induces 
me now to write; and the 
freedom with which we have often 
conversed makes me hope you will 
not take amiss what I say. My own 
principles respecting the commence- 
ment of this unfortunate war are well 
known to you, and, of course, you 



i o Correspondence. 

can conceive what I mention is out 
of friendship. You have now fought 
bravely in the cause of your country 
for many years, and, in my opinion, 
fulfilled the duty every individual 
owes to it. You have had your share 
of hardships and difficulties, and, if 
the contest is still to be continued, 
younger hands should now take the 
toil from you. You have now a fair 
opening of quitting that service, with 
honor and reputation to yourself, by 
going to Jamaica with me. The 
world will readily attribute it to the 
known friendship that has subsisted 
between us; and by quitting this 
country for a short time you would 
avoid any disagreeable conversations, 
and might return at leisure to take 



Correspondence. 1 1 

possession of your estates for your- 
self and family. 

The regiment I am going to com- 
mand, the only proof I can give you 
of my sincerity is, that I will quit 
that command to you with pleasure 
and serve under you. I earnestly 
wish I could be the instrument to 
effect what I propose, as I think it 
would be a great means towards pro- 
moting that reconciliation we all wish 
for. A thousand circumstances con- 
cur to make this a proper period for 
you to embrace your old acquaint- 
ance — my having been formerly Gov- 
ernor in this province, the interest I 
have with the present commanders. 
I give you my honor what I write is 
certainly unknown to the comman- 



1 2 Correspondence. 

dant, or to any one else. So shall 
your answer be if you favor me with 
one. Think well of me. 

Yours sincerely, 

Charles Montague. 

Gen. Moultrie. 





Gen, Moultrie to Lord Mo7<ttague. 



My Lord 



Haddrell's Point, So. Ca., 
March 12th, 1781. 



i 


1 
1 



RECEIVED yours this 
morning by Fisher ; I 
thank you for your wish 
to promote my advan- 
tage, but I am much surprised at 
your proposition. I flattered myself 
I stood in a more favorable light with 
you. I shall write with the same 
freedom with which we used to con- 



13 



1 4 Correspondence. 

verse, and doubt not you will receive 
it with the same candor. I have 
often heard you express your senti- 
ments respecting this unfortunate 
war, when you thought the Ameri- 
cans injured; but am now astonished 
to find you taking an active part 
against them ; though not fighting 
particularly, on the Continent, yet 
seducing their soldiers away to en- 
list in the British service, is nearly, 
similar. 

My Lord, you are pleased to 
compliment me with having fought 
bravely in my country's cause for 
many years, and, in your opinion, ful- 
filled the duty every individual owes 
to it ; but I differ very widely with 
you in thinking that I have dis- 



Correspondence. 1 5 

charged my duty to my country 
while it is still deluged with blood 
and overrun with British troops, who 
exercise the most savage cruelties. 
When I entered into this contest I 
did it with the most mature delibera- 
tion and with a determined resolution 
to resign my life and fortune in the 
cause. The hardships I have gone 
through I look back upon with the 
greatest pleasure and honor to my- 
self. I shall continue to go on as I 
have begun, that my example may 
encourage the youth of America to 
stand forth in defence of their rights 
and liberties. You call upon me now 
and tell me I have a fair opening of 
quitting that service with honor and 
reputation to myself by going with 



1 6 Correspondence. 

you to Jamaica. Good God ! is it 
possible that such an idea could arise 
in the breast of a man of honor ? I 
am sorry you should imagine I have 
so little regard for my own reputa- 
tion as to listen to such dishonorable 
proposals ; would you wish to have 
that man whom you have honored 
with your friendship play the traitor? 
Surely not. You say by quitting 
this country for a short time I might 
avoid disagreeable conversations, and 
might return at my own leisure and 
take possession of my estates for my- 
self and family ; but you have forgot 
to tell me how I am to get rid of the 
feelings of my injured honest heart, 
and where to hide myself from my- 
self Could I be guilty of so much 



Correspondence. 1 7 

baseness I should hate myself and 
shun mankind. This would be a 
fatal exchange from my present situ- 
ation, with an easy and approved 
conscience of having done my duty 
and conducted myself as a man of 
honor. 

My Lord, I am sorry to observe 
that I feel your friendship much 
abated, or you would not endeavor 
to prevail upon me to act so base a 
part. You earnestly wish you could 
bring it about, as you think it will 
be the means of bringing about that 
reconciliation we all wish for. I wish 
for a reconciliation as much as any 
man, but only upon honorable terms. 
The repossessing my estate, the offer 
of the command of your regiment, 



1 8 Correspondence. 

and the honor you propose of serv- 
ing under me, are paltry considera- 
tions to the loss of my reputation ; 
no, not the fee simple of that valua- 
ble island of Jamaica should induce 
me to part with my integrity. My 
Lord, as you have made one pro- 
posal, give me leave to make another, 
which will be more honorable to us 
both ; as you have an interest with 
your commanders, I would have you 
propose the withdrawing the British 
troops from the Continent of Amer- 
ica, allow the independence, and pro- 
pose a peace ; this being done, I will 
use my interest with my commanders 
to accept of the terms, and allow 
Great Britain a free trade with 
America. 



Correspondence. 1 9 

My Lord, I could make one pro- 
posal, but my situation as a prisoner 
circumscribes me within certain 
bounds ; I must, therefore, conclude 
with allowing you the free liberty to 
make what use of this you may think 
proper. Think better of me. 

I am, my Lord, your Lordship's 
most obedient humble servant, 

Wm. Moultrie. 
Lord Charles Montague. 




PRESS OF THEO. L. DE VINNE A CO. NEW-YORK. 



I 



-#m 




.»,-■£* 



005 074 610 % 



t 



\"m 








